In the recent edition, you print an editorial urging the ouster of Greg Walden from Congress (12/4). But then you give Pat Farr, an equally evil Republican, a nice photo op where he pretends to give a shit about homeless people.

The only good Republican is a defeated Republican. Please don’t give these scumbags any positive press.

Doug Hintz, Eugene

PICK YOUR BATTLES

The controversy over the Jesus banner downtown is a distraction. There are bigger fish to fry.

Suppose the opponents of the banner were to prevail and get it taken down, then what? The “fake president” is still in the White House. Racists, Nazis and misogynists corrupt the national discourse. Greedy corporations rob the people and degrade the environment.

However imperfect, our system of government of, by and for the people has been a force for good. But we the people have gotten lazy and let lobbyists, gas-lighters and criminals corrupt and dominate the system. It will take a mighty effort from all quarters of society to take it back.

Whatever your issue with organized religion, you must remember there are plenty of Christians who believe in equality and social justice. Instead of alienating them, let’s join with them to fight the greater evil.

Emily Semple opposed the library levy tax … “when so many people are homeless,” KLCC 8/28/15.

Now McCornack advocates for an elected city auditor, a tax increase of a reported $600,000 per year and a reach up to … well, nobody seems to know where its authority stops.

A tax increase! How else to cover this chunk of money subtracted from a zero-sum city budget with only a hope for payback. Worse than a levy. Semple is not taking a position regarding this imposing tax, this time, even when so many more people are homeless.

The auditor issue may not be “mom and apple pie,” but it’s being marketed as such in what is, I believe, a Eugene “political family feud,” to gain control of city government from this City Council, future councils and the city manager. And, the über-auditor can itself be audited, only by another election. Think about that!

I stand with Bonny Bettman McCornack: “I don’t like being manipulated.”

Richard Guske, Eugene

GREED REIGNS SUPREME

Debra McGee’s letter “Merkley Listens” (12/21) ignores the fact that Sen. Jeff Merkley believes we should not burn fossil fuels for energy; we should burn the human food supply instead. That is the perverse logic of our political establishment that thinks it was a dandy idea to make cars and trucks our competitors for food in a world where more than one-third of the human population is severely malnourished.

Global biofuel farming has raised the cost of fertilizer, farmland and food all over the world. Malnutrition is the world’s foremost cause of avoidable premature death, and the primary cause of avoidable mental retardation in children.

Biofuel farming is eroding away the last remaining half of our prime Midwest topsoil, helping kill off the bees through increased pesticide use, and increases both water and air pollution while giving us lower gas mileage and more engine repair bills.

It takes lots of fossil fuels to produce ethanol and biodiesel, so the idea that biofuels are a viable alternative to fossil fuels is beyond insanity.

The biofuel industry is powered by empty-headed green symbolism and massive corporate greed.

Christopher Calder, Eugene

NORTH KOREAN PLANT

I hear that Jon Ruiz is banishing the image of Garrison Keiller, just to be on the safe side?

I contacted Minnesota public broadcasting to learn the full extent of Garrison’s transgressions. I was informed that all of this has been worked out in a secret trial. His sexual misconduct must have been so grave that a sensitive person such as myself might suffer a stroke if exposed to the details.

I always thought secret trials were not the American way of doing things. Convicting the accused based on secret evidence and that sort of thing: that’s the sort of thing that goes on in North Korea, isn’t it?

Golly, now I am beginning to wonder if Jon Ruiz might not be a covert North Korean agent. I better copy this letter to Mayor Lucy Vinis so that she can protect us from civil servants who might be communist plants.

I doubt that Ruiz really is a North Korean agent, but we should err on the side of caution.

I know that the Eugene Weekly policy is that letters to the editor should be signed. But I think this is a special case: One does not want to risk getting on the wrong side of the North Korean secret service for sure!

And yet our mayor really should be warned of possible communist evildoers who might be hiding in plain sight in our city’s bureaucracy.

Anonymous author, forwarded by Paul Nicholson, Eugene

A CINEMATIC PROPOSAL

Long ago, when I was a kid, there were lots of drive-in movies but very few homeless people. Now that situation has been completely reversed. Is there a connection?

Perhaps not, but consider this: Many homeless people can’t afford housing but they can afford a car, so they wind up living in one. The problem with living in a car is where to park it without it being ticketed and towed.

The solution? Free drive-in movies for the homeless!

With adequate funding, free drive-ins could provide safe parking places for the homeless, plus they could watch movies.

We might not be able to recreate the full ’50s drive-in experience, but we could employ some modern-day updates.

Instead of having a big movie screen, for example, we could provide free wi-fi and Netflix so the homeless could watch movies in their cars on their phones. Instead of having to build a snack bar with restrooms, provide food trucks and port-a-potties.

Wouldn’t these free drive-ins be better than what the homeless are faced with now?

Where to put free drive-ins In Eugene? Small ones wouldn’t need much space. How about starting with the empty City Hall lot? We might as well get some use out of it.

Randy Stenersen, Eugene

BERNIE’S LEGACY LIVES ON

A group derived from the activism that sprang up simultaneously or because of Bernie Sanders’ attempt to gain the presidency now meets weekly on Saturdays at 11 am at Theo’s. “Our Revolution Lane County” discusses all the topics that shone more brightly in the populace’s minds before, during and after the 2016 election.

The causes and perspectives discussed consistently for 40 years by Sanders are now talked about and organized around in the cafe/pizza place by people who saw something positive in them and now want the message to spread.

Many distinguished guests have graced our meetings, including Sen. James Manning, Rep. Julie Fahey and Eugene’s longest-running and hardest working-groups like Health Care for All Oregon, Eugene Springfield Solidarity Network, The Pacific Green Party, the Democratic Party and 350.org.

Right now we are working for the yes vote on Measure 101 on Jan. 23, with the goal of eventually having universal health coverage. We supported the AFSCME strikers who unfortunately didn’t achieve their aim but got some notoriety.

A direct action taken on Dec. 7 by ORLC was a rally to protect net neutrality. It was carried out in front of Verizon on Coburg Road because they, like AT&T and Comcast, want to monopolize and privatize cyberspace.

If you care about the people and the remaining life forms that we live on this planet with, come share your words and ideas with us.

David Ivan Piccioni, Eugene

CHUCK IT ALL

Just asking, but could it be that Stephen Paddock, the man who killed 58 people and injured hundreds in Las Vegas last October, and Donald Trump — the man who thinks that some neo-Nazis are “good people,” that radical right-wing video material is worthy of endorsement by the president of the United States, that the only thing Israel and Palestine need is a good real estate broker and that the environment is simply there to be polluted — have something essential in common?

Perhaps there are some people who are of the opinion that the entire enterprise of life, liberty and realization of human potential is just not very interesting anymore, and that it is now time to unceremoniously chuck the whole thing.

After all: Why not?

Stephen Slater, Eugene

LETTERS POLICY: We welcome letters on all topics and will print as many as space allows, with priority given to timely local issues. Please limit length to 200 words and include your address and phone number for our files. Email to letters@eugeneweekly.com, fax to 484-4044 or mail to 1251 Lincoln, Eugene 97401.